2000 Zind Humbrecht Collection Case

Olivier Humbrecht is increasingly bottling his whites without subjecting them to filtration, as is the case with the 2000 Pinot d'Alsace. This 2000 boasts rich pear and apple aromas that lead to a medium-bodied lush personality. Bone-dry, it bastes the palate with creamy pears, spices, and anise. Long-time readers of The Wine Advocate know that this publication has consistently complained about French wine legislation that punishes high-quality producers (Cotat in Sancerre, Thevenet in the Maconnais, etc.) yet allows oceans of swill to be made each year. The Humbrechts are the latest victims of these absurd laws. Starting with the 2001 vintage, this wine will no longer be allowed to be called Pinot d'Alsace as it contains some Chardonnay, a varietal deemed "traditional" by the authorities for Cremant d'Alsace yet "atypical" for Pinot. Therefore, beginning next year, this wine, consistently the finest of its type produced, will be down-graded to Vin de Table status, France's lowest ranking. Drink it over the next 5 years. Olivier Humbrecht describes 2000 as "a year of excellent ripeness where the key to success was sorting out the bad rot prior to harvesting." To accomplish this, Humbrecht sent out teams to go through every parcel, dropping whatever bunches had been infected with sour rot. Domaine Zind-Humbrecht's harvest lasted 6 weeks, with one-fourth being accomplished between September 19 and October 5th, and the remaining three-fourths picked by October 31st. Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524